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Hard Right Conspiracism & Apocalyptic Millennialism

The armed militia movement formed as the militant wing of the patriot
movement following the government's excessive use of force against the
Weaver family in Idaho and the Branch Davidians in Texas. Patriots and
militia members have an anti-government agenda laced with paranoid-sounding
conspiracist theories, many of which echo apocalyptic millenialism of Christian
fundamentalists. Endnote1 Persons
in the patriot movement fear impending attack by government or UN troops
and the establishment of a dictatorship as part of the New World Order.
They distrust all mainstream media. The patriot movement made aggressive
use of alternative electronic media such as fax networks, radio talk shows,
shortwave radio, and online computer telecommunications. Endnote2

Much of the information circulated in this sector of the hard right is undocumented
rumor and irrational conspiracist theory, some of it merely paranoid lunacy,
some based on classic white supremacist and segregationist legal arguments
or allegations of secret plots by international Jewish bankers traced back
to the hoax text, The Protocols of the Secret Elders of Zion. Endnote3 Print
sources frequently cited as having "proof" of the conspiracy include the New
American magazine from the reactionary John Birch Society, the Spotlight newspaper
from the antisemitic Liberty Lobby, and Executive Intelligence Review (EIR)
and The New Federalist from the neofascist Lyndon LaRouche movement.
Most of the contemporary conspiracist allegations in the US are variations
on the themes propounded in the late 1700's by John Robison, Proofs of a
Conspiracy and Abbe Augustin Barruel, Memoirs Illustrating the History
of Jacobinism, which claimed that the Illuminati society had subverted
the Freemasons into a conspiracy to undermine church and state and create a
one-world government. Endnote4

One of the earliest examples of the use of online computer networks for mass
organizing occurred during the 1992 presidential campaign of independent Ross
Perot. Libertarians and populist conservatives, who appear to have strongly
influenced the politics of early cyber-culture and the Internet, helped circulate
organizing documents and position papers for the Perot campaign, quickly reaching
a large audience. Endnote5 Perot's
anti-government themes also attracted support from some persons in the hard
right who later went on to promote the patriot and armed militia movements.
These pre-exisiting online relationships were a factor in the use of computer
networks by the patriot and militia movements, which was apparently the first
major US social movement organized extensively via horizontal telecommunications
networks. Endnote6

A voluminous amount of information and numerous discussions about tactics
and strategy for the armed militia and patriot movements moved across the Internet,
appearing in Usenet newsgroup conferences such as <alt.conspiracy>, <talk.politics.guns>, <alt.sovereignty>, <misc.survivalism> and <alt.politics.usa.constitution>.
Eventually a militia conference was established at <misc.activism.militia>.
Information also appeared online at individual BBS's set up by patriot and
militia technophiles, tossed to multiple BBS's through FidoNet and other messaging
and echoing networks, and appeared in commercial online system discussion groups. Endnote7

Not all scapegoating conspiracist theories originate on the right. Alternative
analysts who merge the rhetoric of the right and the left in their conspiracist
diatribes include Linda Thompson, Mark Koernke, Sherman Skolnick, Dan Brandt,
David Emory, Bob Fletcher, John Judge, and Ace Hayes. In a lengthy article
on snowballing conspiracism in The New Yorker, Michael Kelly called
this "fusion paranoia." Endnote8 With
the rise of "info-tainment" news programs and talk shows, hard right conspiracism,
especially about alleged government misconduct, jumps into the corporate media
with increasing regularity. Endnote9 As
Kelly observes, "It is not remarkable that accusations of abuse of power should
be leveled against Presidents--particularly in light of Vietnam, Watergate,
and Iran-Contra. But now, in the age of fusion paranoia, there is no longer
any distinction made between credible charges and utterly unfounded slanders."

A-albionic Research describes itself as "A private network of researchers
dedicated to identifying the nature of the ruling class/Conspiracy(ies)." A-albionic
and the New Paradigms Project web page, <http:a-albionic.com>, are run by
James H. Daugherty, a mail-order distributor of printed matter who believes
the Vatican and British Empire are locked in a mortal battle for world control. Endnote10 Daugherty's
anti-Catholic bigotry tracks back to earlier allegations that the Pope was
the antichrist. Endnote11

Conspiracist information circulates in online newsletters such as "Conspiracy
Nation" by Brian Francis Redman, and "The People's Spellbreaker" by John DiNardo.
Glenda Stocks runs a computer information network pushing even more exotic
theories. DiNardo's The People's Spellbreaker carries the flag motto "News
They Never Told You...News They'll Never Tell You." The People's Spellbreaker sometimes
consists of transcripts of radio programs. In the following excerpt, the text
is transcribed from "A World of Prophecy," a conspiracist radio program hosted
by Texe Marrs. The title was "New Currency: The Banksters' Way To Rob Us Of
Our Life Earnings." Endnote12

TEXE MARRS:

You know, most investment advisors don't understand how the money system
works. They don't know of the problems being concocted by the New World
Order. They don't know the Illuminati conspiracies. And they simply cannot
address these things. But I've got a gentleman on the line, and I'll bet
he has got some exciting information to give you. And keep in mind God's
prophetic word, and see how these things are working out. David Dennis,
I'm so glad to have you on A WORLD OF PROPHECY.

DAVID DENNIS:

Well, I'm certainly glad to be on your show, Tex, and I bring the greetings
of Lawrence Paterson. He asked me to say hello.

TEXE MARRS:

Well, good. I'm glad to hear from Lawrence Paterson. I get CRIMINAL POLITICS
Magazine every month. I love to open that envelope and read that magazine.
It's one of the first things I grab ahold of when it comes in the mail.
David, you're the resident editor there.

One subject of interest is the new currency. You're sort of ahead of your
time. You've been warning us about a "two-tier dollar." I'd like to get
into that a little bit later. But what is this new money, this new currency?

DAVID DENNIS:

The new money actually was introduced not long ago. However, it might
come as a surprise to all your listeners that the new money was NOT introduced
here in the United States to our public. Rather, it was introduced in Moscow,
[Russia] by the United States Treasury Department. And the idea was to
have it serve as sort of a trial run, if you will. And, also, to let the
Russian People know that the United States currency, which they depend
so much on for value, will continue to be of value, even after this new
currency comes on-line. So, it's quite interesting that our new currency
would not be discussed [or introduced] here in the U.S. first. Instead,
it was introduced in Moscow to the Russian People.

TEXE MARRS:

That is just INCREDIBLE!

[rest of text deleted]

The information in this posting certainly is "INCREDIBLE!," but is typical of
the genre. Note the plug for Paterson's conspiracist Criminal
Politics newsletter and the mention of the Illuminati variation of the longstanding
freemason conspiracist theory. Marrs is the author of a book on the Illuminati
titled Dark Majesty: The Secret Brotherhood and the Magic of A Thousand Points
of Light, described in an ad in
the John Birch Society magazine as revealing "a secret society of grotesque rituals...whose
symbol is the death's head--the skull and bones...their plot has succeeded beyond
their wildest dreams." Endnote13

This apocalyptic tone is typical. Consider John DiNardo's tag line to his
posting:

I urge you to post the episodes of this ongoing series to other newsgroups,
networks, computer bulletin boards and mailing lists. It is also important
to post hardcopies on the bulletin boards in campus halls, churches, supermarkets,
laundromats, etc.--any place where concerned citizens can read this vital information.
Our people's need for Paul Reveres and Ben Franklins is as urgent today as
it was 220 years ago.

The most zealous sector of the hard right is the far right or ultra-right, which
mixes scapegoating conspiracism with open race hate, fascism, and neonazism.
Even in this sector their is a vigorous debate over policy. Endnote14 One
online skinhead conference is dominated by neonazi skins, but attacked by anti-racist
skins. Endnote15 The
screed of Holocaust revisionists can be found posted
in <alt.revisionism> where they are isolated by the majority of Internet netizens
(citizens of cyber space) who wish to preserve intellectual freedom but refuse
to allow Holocaust deniers even the smallest space to spread their views on other
conferences. In <alt.revisionism> you can find the rebuttals to the deniers
posted by online human rights activists such as Ken McVay, Jamie McCarthy, Danny
Keren, and others. Ted Frank posted scores of carefully-researched rebuttals
to hard right legal arguments
on <alt.conspiracy>. Endnote16

A few ultra-right participants manage to post messages in discussion groups
on the commercial services such as America Online (AOL), sometimes suggesting
the purchase by mail-order of specific anti-government books and pamphlets
with innocuous-sounding titles. When the material arrives in the mail it is
often accompanied with a list of other materials with white supremacist or
antisemitic themes. This attempt to hide or encode overt race hate and antisemitism
is a common tactic of the ultra-right. The following excerpt from the Pennsylvania-based
Christian Posse Comitatus newsletter The Watchman was found on the home
page of Stormfront: Endnote17

"Meet the torch with the torch; pillage with pillage; subjugation
with extermination."

--Colonel William C. Quantrill

As we enter the fall season, which is incidentally the best time of the
year to recruit new people, I feel it necessary to comment briefly on new
developments nationally. I received a phone call this morning from an acquaintance
who asked me if I would like to receive an interesting fax. I did and it
regarded a newspaper article about a "Klanwatch" report. Joe Roy of Klan
Watch alleges that more than thirty right-wing extremist groups are gathering
information about governmental agencies and so-called civil rights groups.
He fears that this intelligence will be used in a future terrorist campaign
against these same agencies. This is also evidently the fear of many law
enforcement agencies as I have been contacted by such officials who expressed
their concern. My answer to them was that public servants are supposed to
be afraid of the people, do...us no further harm and all will be well.

I regret that it does not appear that government learned this lesson in
Oklahoma City. There is currently legislation pending that will effectively
outlaw free speech and classify such organizations as Aryan Nations, militias
and the Posse as terrorist organizations.

Prepare for the men and boys to be separated! I personally believe the militia
movement to be a bunch of well-intentioned persons who have a bit to learn.
It is all well and good to prepare for another Ruby Ridge or Waco but the
belief that hundreds or even thousands of conventional soldiers will be able
to stand down the United States Army is ludicrous. It also stands to reason
that the feds are infiltrating the militias as they did the Klans in the
1960s. Use the militia movement as a place to spread the truth and to meet
people but beware the agent provocateur. The militias are also filled with
the ridiculous rhetoric about "black helicopters" and even "space aliens" controlling
the government from a secret base in the desert and so on. The helicopters
were green at Randy Weavers and at Waco and they were sent and operators
by White traitors.

While there is yet a little time arm yourselves and prepare to face some
very difficult decisions. Knowledge is power, go to the Gun shows and buy
the how-to books and learn the art of war. Live free or die!

FOURTEEN WORDS!

An average reader might miss the neonazi subtext of this posting. The "Aryan
Nations, militias and the Posse" are lumped together and portrayed only as victims
of demonization whose free speech rights are threatened. The Aryan Nations and
the Posse Comitatus promote Christian Identity, a vicious antisemitic religious
philosophy that often overlaps with neonazi beliefs.
The phrase "fourteen words" is a coded pro-Hitlerian reference to the phrase "To
secure the existence of the white race and a future for our children." Endnote18 Notice
how the author derides the "ridiculous rhetoric" of conspiracism in the militias,
but points out a real example of government
infiltration. Endnote19

The networking through alternative media implied in this text is as interesting
as the ideological assumptions. A phone call leads to the receipt of a fax
containing a facsimile of a text article. This in turn leads to an article
in a print newsletter that is then posted on the Internet, and ends up on the
Web home page of a sympathetic group in another state.

The gun shows mentioned are a major meeting place for patriot and revolutionary
right activists, and while most attendees and display tables focus on weapons,
a handful provide books, magazines, pamphlets, audiotapes, and videotapes servicing
the armed hard right. Endnote20 At
gun shows different tables have different selections based on ideological loyalty
with tables featuring The New American magazine from the John Birch
Society, videotapes of militia stars Linda Thompson and Mark Koernke, copies
of the Spotlight newspaper, and overt White supremacist and neonazi
books. Endnote21

Radio is another vehicle for education and recruitment into various sectors
of the hard right. Generic right-wing scapegoating theories are broadcast daily
on mainstream commercial AM and FM, with programs featuring Rush Limbaugh,
Oliver North, and G. Gordon Liddy, and scores of similar hosts. Much anti-government
rhetoric flows back and forth on right-wing radio, and it helped create the
mindset that led to the growth of the patriot and armed militia movements. Endnote22 Sometimes
there is crossover, such as Colorado Springs AM radio host Chuck Baker interviewing
Linda Thompson in August of 1994 about her plans for an armed march on Washington,
DC to remove the "traitors" in Congress. Thompson later canceled the march
and lost much credibility in the militia movement, but one Baker listener,
Francisco Martin Duran, drove to the capital city in October and shot-up the
White House. Endnote23

Major purveyors of right-wing conspiracist scapegoating in recent years have
included radio personalities Tom Valentine, Chuck Harder, Craig Hulet, Mark
Koernke, John Stadtmiller, Norm Resnick, William Cooper, Linda Thompson, Jack
McLamb, Tom Donahue, and Bo Gritz. Sometimes right-wing populist radio shows
introduce hard right ideologues as innocuous experts. On his "For The People" syndicated
program, Chuck Harder once used notorious antisemite Eustace Mullins as an
expert on the Federal Reserve. Harder’s newspaper, tied to the radio program,
sold several Mullins’ books––including one claiming a Rothschild family Jewish
banking conspiracy––for over a year. Yet Mullins did not sound antisemitic
on the radio program. Harder stopped promoting Mullins after a listener documented
Mullin's beliefs. Endnote24

Many programs are part of elaborate information networks. For example, Paul
Valentine hosts a daily talk show called "Radio Free America" (RFA), that is
originally broadcast from WBDN 760 AM in Tampa, Florida. RFA is also broadcast
on the shortwave band operated by World Wide Christian Radio (WWCR). Endnote25 The
RFA program is also carried by satellite into homes with receiving dishes. Endnote26 Most
people are unaware that audio programs can arrive through a home satellite
dish simply by turning off the video and tuning in a specific audio frequency.
Audiotapes of RFA are sold through the quasi-Nazi Liberty Lobby's Spotlight newspaper
which carries capsule descriptions of recent RFA programs in every issue accompanied
with an order blank. Valentine is affiliated with the southern regional bureau
of the Spotlight newspaper, but his on-air demeanor avoids hateful rhetoric.

World Wide Christian Radio (WWCR) carries more mainstream evangelical programs
along with hard right programs broadcast on several shortwave frequencies.
WWCR played a key role in networking and assisting the growth of the patriot
and armed militia movements in 1994 and 1995, airing a program by Linda Thompson
and the show "The Intelligence Report" hosted by Mark Koernke and John Stadtmiller,
which was pulled off the air after the Oklahoma City bombing. A number of conspiracist
radio programs are sponsored by precious metals commodities dealers and those
selling gold and silver coins. The pitch is that precious metal is a secure
investment to hedge against possible financial chaos and economic collapse
that might deflate paper currency or cause bank failures. Endnote27 Shortwave
listeners can also hear conspiracism and scapegoating from WRNO based in Louisiana,
WINB from Pennsylvania, and several other stations. Endnote28 There
are so many right-wing shortwave radio programs that a progressive shortwave
radio station broadcasting out of Costa Rica, Radio for Peace International,
has a radio program called "Far Right Radio Review" devoted exclusively to
monitoring and discussing the rightwing broadcasts.

Another emerging alternative media, fax networks and fax trees, were used
extensively by the armed militia movement in its formative stages and continue
to be utilized by the hard right including the far right. The Spotlight featured
a cover story on how rightwing populists in New Jersey had distributed fliers
and faxes opposing a proposed state environmental law. According to The
Spotlight, "Virtually overnight hundreds of thousands of copies of the
flier appeared as if by magic on bulletin boards, store windows and fax machines
throughout the state." The flier was circulated in part through a fax hotline
operated by northern New Jersey resident Franklin Reich. Endnote29

On nativist roots, Ray Allen Billington, The Origins of Nativism in the
United States 1800-1844 (New York: Arno Press Inc., 1974); John Higham, Strangers
in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism 1860-1925 (New York: Atheneum,
1972).; David H. Bennett, The Party of Fear: The American Far Right from
Nativism to the Militia Movement, (New York: Vintage Books, 1995, (1988)).
Richard Hofstadter, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," in The
Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays (New York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 1965); David Brion Davis, "Some Themes of Counter-Subversion: An
Analysis of Anti-Masonic, Anti-Catholic, and Anti-Mormon Literature," in
Davis, ed., The Fear of Conspiracy, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press, 1971), pp. 9-22.

On Perot's online support, author's monitoring of political postings on the
Internet and various BBS conferences. On libertarian influence on cyber-culture,
conversation with Paulina Borsook 11/96 based on her forthcoming book.

Some of my research into the right online was to prepare for an interview
by Grant Kester that appeared as "Net Profits: Chip Berlet Tracks Computer
Networks of the Religious Right," in Afterimage, Feb./March 1995, pp.
8-10.

A BBS in its simplest form is a single computer hooked to a phone line through
a modem that allows offsite computer users with a modem to connect through
a phone line to a menu-driven list of information and messages. More elaborate
BBS's can handle multiple phone lines, and some are networked through systems
such as FidoNet or linked into the Internet.

From "A World of Prophecy," hosted by Texe Marrs, broadcast over WWCR, 5.065
Megahertz shortwave, December 23, 1995, 8:00 P.M. EST. Downloaded in late 1995
from <alt.conspiracy> and posted to private e-mail list of persons studying
far right. Original posting by John DiNardo. Spelling corrected as a courtesy.

Newsletter from fall 1995, located and downloaded in early 1996 and posted
on private e-mail list for persons studying the far right. Stormfront homepage
was at the time: <http://www2.stormfront.org/watchman/watch-on.html>.

According to the Coalition for Human Dignity, the phrase "fourteen words" is
a coded white supremacist greeting that originated with David Lane, a member
of the neonazi Order. Another coded phrase is "88," representing the eighth
letter in the alphabet as in "HH" for "Heil Hitler."

Although the FBI infiltrated some ultra-right groups during the 1960's and
'70's, it also formed alliances with the paramilitary right to infiltrate left
and people-of-color groups which sometimes faced extralegal and sometimes lethal
repression not experienced by the right until the 1980's. See for example:
Frank J. Donner, The Age of Surveillance: The Aims and Methods of America's
Political Intelligence System (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980); Ward Churchill & Jim
Vander Wall. Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black
Panther Party and the American Indian Movement, (Boston: South End Press,
1988); Kenneth O'Reilly, "Racial Matters:" The FBI's Secret File on Black
America, 1960--1972, (New York: Free Press, 1988); Ward Churchill & Jim
Vander Wall. COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against
Dissent in the United States, (Boston: South End Press, 1989); Brian Glick,
War at Home: Covert Action Against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do About
It, (Boston: South End Press, 1989).

The author monitors far-right shortwave broadcasts on a Radio Shack DX-390.
See also James Latham, "The Rise of Far-Right/Hate Programming on the Shortwave
Bands," Vista (Radio for Peace International), Oct. 1994, pp. 2-4. Contact
RFPI, POB 20728, Portland, OR 97220.